That's a good point; E.G. was only super-skinny when I met him, and filled out without doing anything in particular. He's usually somewhere around 165 now I think, more when he works out.
It did take quite a while though -- I met him when he was 23, and he probably only permanently filled out (he'd still get scary-skinny when he got sick) after he turned, hmm, 28 maybe.
17 is a great age for a male to start packing on muscle. Your natural testosterone level is through the roof. Metabolism is fast too, so make sure you EAT, EAT, and EAT.
My workout routine today was something along the lines of:
bench
incline dumbell
lat pull downs
lat raises (?)
tri pull downs
overhead extensions
crazy 8s
bench alone took 20-25 minutes! way too long for me. I feel like my technique is horrible (if it gets too heavy I tend to bring it down near my upper abs instead of my sternum. but I only do like 85 - 105 - 95. this just doesn't seem right to me.
and also, I really don't have time to make a meal in the morning so I end up only having 2 protein shakes and some other little snack until about 730pm. my friend pressures me into taking his creatine before the workout, but should I just make lunch instead?
this thread must seem repeitive for some but I'm learning so much. thanks.
Without knowing nearly as much as others here, I'd say lunch instead of creatine would be a no-brainer.
You need to structure a diet that works for you, so you can eat every 3 hours or so. Pre-made meals, nutrition bars, shakes, whatever. But it can be done. Don't substitute creatine for a meal, and I'm telling you, it's absolutely worthless considering you're not eating enough.
And your routine isn't strong. You're doing 3 bodyparts on one day, when you should be focusing on 1, maybe 2.
You're not doing nearly enough for your back. It makes up 2/3's of your upper body...2 excercises isn't going to cut it, which is why you need to spend a whole workout dedicated to it.
Example:
Day 1: Chest
-Incline dumbell press
-Flat dumbell flyes
-Dips
-Flat press(bar or machine)
Day 2: Back & Biceps
-Wide-grip pullups
-Dumbell rows
-Deadlifts
-Dumbell curls
Day 3: Legs
-Squats
-Leg press
-Leg curls
-Calf raises
Day 4: Shoulders & Triceps
-Dumbell shoulder press
-Side dumbell lateral raises
-Shrugs(dumbell or barbell)
-Skull crushers
You could extend it to a 5 day plan, where you dedicate the fifth day to just bi's and tri's, and do dedicated days for shoulders and back. Either way, you want to hit each body part only once a week, and give each muscle group enough attention to build strength and develop.
As far as too heavy & technique: make sure you're properly warming up.
If your max bench set is 105lbs for 6 reps, don't walk into the gym, and pile on 105lbs for your first set. You're going to pull muscles, get yourself sore, and sacrifice strength gains.
Let's say incline dumbell press is your first excercise, and your heaviest set is 50lbs for 6 reps. First warm-up set, just do the 20's for 10 reps. Then do a second warm-up of 30lbs for 6 reps. Then do a third warm-up, or just jump to the 50's. You get the blood flowing to the muscles, and you mentally prepare yourself for the heavier weight.
listen to slappy kid, he knows what he's talking about.
I don't know about weight lifting, but I can address it from this angle....why are you letting this friend pressure you so much to take creatine.
Did he figure out your workout routine for you too?
I do know that you should be concentrating on just one area a workout....and more importantly you need to be feeding your body so you can feed the muscle.
do you have any down time, like watching tv? while you're doing that, make yourself some sandwiches to take with you the next day.
god I sound like a mother....you missed it slappy, I brow beat some 16 year old to make a proper apology to Bella...."You come right back here young man and say you're sorry!" He did too, what a rush. hehehe.
Now I'm saying, "eat, eat, you're so thin."
It keeps coming back around to the food, doesn't it.
If it helps you kid (that's what I'm gonna call you from now on....kid) why not post here what you eat and lift each day, posting your weight gains, etc. That'd be cool.
What do you think kid?
Check out the forums on bodybuilding.com. But do some searches, there's a lot of good info on there, from diets, to teen bodybuilding, to workout routines.
